In sectors such as lighting technology for the exterior and for road applications, the need may arise to pass an electrical cable through a hole made in a housing of a lighting source, for example a LED source. In various solutions, it may be necessary to provide a protection, for example against the infiltration of dust and water (IP6x protection).
For this purpose, it is possible to use a sleeve with a gland to be inserted into the hole prior to passing the cable through it. This solution requires additional operations during the assembly (for example, in the case of LED lighting sources, during the assembly of the LED modules). In addition, a large part of the sleeve can protrude outside of the housing, which makes bending the cable difficult right at the exit from the housing and limits the overall flexibility of application of the module in the framework of lighting sources (luminaire). In various solutions, it can then be necessary to screw in a fixing screw operating on the internal side of the housing, in a place where there is normally not much space available.
Other solutions may include the use of a water-tight seal or grommet made of rubber or of supple elastomer and designed to be inserted into the hole prior to inserting the cable. These solutions may have drawbacks such as the insufficient retaining action on the cable, with the consequent requirement for providing auxiliary retaining systems (for example clamps with screws) inside the housing, with a consequent increase in the complexity of the assembly operation and of the costs.
The possibility then exists of using through connectors, capable of providing the protection against dust and water and including complementary elements designed to be assembled together, which may give rise to rather bulky solutions.
Within the application context considered here by way of example, it is desirable for the assembly operations to be reduced to a minimum, while conserving the possibility of bending the electrical cable also immediately at the exit of the hole passing through the housing. It can thus be desirable for the operations relating to the passage of the cable to be, at least for the most part, carried out from the outside of the electrical equipment given that the space available inside the housing may be somewhat limited.